Associate Professor Mike Pearson

Thomas Building, Level 3, Room 338B 3 Symonds Street, City Campus E-mail: m.pearson@auckland.ac.nz Phone: +64-9-373-7599 ext 88371 FAX: +64-9-373-7416

Research Interests

The main research interests of the group are virus diseases of plants and viruses infecting plant pathogenic fungi. Much of our plant virus research involves the study of previously undescribed viral diseases, with a particular emphasis on horticultural crops from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. This includes detection and characterisation of the causal agents, studying their epidemiology, and developing diagnostic tests, the ultimate objective being the development of practical control measures.

The research group has worked on a wide range of tropical and sub-tropical crops including taro, squash, ornamentals, kiwifruit, citrus and vanilla. An important aspect of our work has been information transfer research scientists and agricultural extension workers in the Pacific Islands. To this end we have entered virus information into the FAO pest and disease website and in some instances have produced information leaflets in Fijian and Tongan, as well as in English. Our group is also interested in the effects of viruses on New Zealand native plants and we are currently studying the effects of viruses on New Zealand native grasses.



Research on mycoviruses is being carried out in collaboration with mycologists at Landcare Research, Auckland, and researchers at Bristol University, UK. with the ultimate aim of identifying viruses that might be used as biological controls of pathogenic fungi. Work to date has focussed on the two important plant pathogenic fungi, Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia fructicola. This work is currently funded by the National Centre for Advanced Bio-Protection Technologies.

Recent Publications

• Harper, S.J.; Dawson, T.E.; Mooney, P.A.; Pearson, M.N. (2008). Molecular analysis of the coat protein and minor coat protein genes of New Zealand Citrus tristeza virus isolates that overcome the resistance of Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. Australasian Plant Pathology37, 379-386
  
  
• Jones, D.; Farreyrol, K.; Clover, G.R.G.; Pearson, M.N. (2008). Development of a generic PCR detection method for tobraviruses Australasian Plant Pathology 37(2) 132-136
  
  
• Wei, T.; Pearson, M.N.; Cohen, D.; Tang, J. Z.; Clover, G.R.G. (2008). First reports of Zantedeschia mosaic virus and Zantedeschia mild mosaic virus infecting Zantedeschia in New Zealand. Plant Disease. Accepted for publication May 2008.
  
  
• Pearson, M.N.; Chavan, R.R.; Cohen, D. (2007). Viruses of Actinidia: Do they pose a threat to Kiwifruit production? Acta Horticulturae753, 639-644
  
  
• Card, S.D.; Pearson, M.N.; Clover, G.R.G. (2007). Plant pathogens transmitted by pollen. Australasian Plant Pathology 36, 455-461.
  
  
• Wei, T.; Pearson, M.N.; Cohen, D.(2007). First report of Narcissus latent virus in New Zealand. Plant Pathology 56, 720.
  
  
• Wei, T.; Pearson, M.N.; Cohen, D. (2006) First report of Ornithogalum mosaic virus and Ornithogalum virus 2 in New Zealand. Plant Pathology 55, 820.
  
  
• Grisoni, M.; Moles, M.; Farreyrol, K.; Rassaby, L.; Davis, R.; Pearson, M. (2006). Identification of potyviruses infecting vanilla by direct sequencing of a short RT-PCR amplicon. Plant Pathology 55, 523-529
  
  
• Wei, T.; Pearson, M.N.; Fletcher, J.F. (2006). Molecular identification of New Zealand garlic yellow streak virus as a strain of Leek yellow streak virus. Australasian Plant Pathology 35, 341-346
  
  
• Farreyrol, K.; Pearson, M.N.; Grisoni, M.; Cohen, D.; Beck, D. ( 2006). Molecular characterization of the Vanilla mosaic virus coat protein indicates two Potyvirus species with unusual features in the N-terminal region. Archives of Virology 151, 905-919.
  
  
• Pearson, M.N.; Clover, G.R.G; Guy, P.L.; Fletcher, J.D.; Beever, R.E. (2006). A review of the plant virus, viroid and mollicute records for New Zealand. Australasian Plant Pathology 35, 1-36
  
  
• Delmiglio, C.; Pearson, M.N. (2006). Effects and incidence of virus diseases in New Zealand’s only native cucurbit, Sicyos australis. Australasian Plant Pathology 35, 29-35
  
  
• Howitt, R.; Beever, R.E.; Pearson, M.N.; Forster, R.L.S. (2006). Genome characterization of a flexuous rod-shaped mycovirus, Botrytis virus X, reveals high amino acid identity to genes from plant ‘potex-like’ viruses. Archives of Virology. 151, 563-579
  
  
• Tsai, Pi-Fang, Pearson, M.N.; Beever, R.E. (2004). The presence of mycoviruses in Monilinia fructicola in New Zealand. Mycological Research 108, 907-912.
  
  
• Grisoni, M.; Davidson, F.; Hyrondelle, C.; Farreyrol, K.; Caruana, M.L.; Pearson, M.N. (2004). Nature, Incidence and Symptomatology of Viruses Infecting Vanilla tahitensis in French Polynesia. Plant Disease 88, 119-124
  
  
• Clover GRG.; Pearson, M.N.; Elliott, D.R.; Tang, Z.; Smales, T.E.; Alexander, B.J.R. (2003). Amplification of Yucca bacilliform virus-like sequences from Yucca elephantipes. Australasian Plant Pathology 32, 5630-566.
  
  
• Clover GRG.; Pearson, M.N.; Elliott, D.R.; Tang, Z.; Smales, T.E.; Alexander, B.J.R. (2003). Characterization of a strain of Apple stem grooving virus in Actinidia chinensis from China. Plant Pathology; 52, 371-378.
  
  
• Clover, G.R.G.3; Tang, Z. 3; Smales, T.E. 3; Pearson, M.N. (2003). Taxonomy of Wisteria vein mosaic virus and extensions to its host range and geographical distribution. Plant Pathology 52, 92-96.
  
  
• Pearson, MN; Grisoni, M (2002). Records of plant viruses for the Pacific Islands. Australasian Plant Pathology 31, 15-26.
  
  
• Jackson, G.V.H. 3; Vilsoni, F. 3; Kumar, J. 3; Pearson, M.N.; Morton, J.R. 3 (2001). Comparison of the growth of in-vitro produced pathogen-tested Colocasia taro and field-collected planting material. NZ Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science 29: 171-176.
  
  
• Howitt, Robyn L. J.; Beever, Ross E.; Pearson, Michael N. and Forster, Richard L. S. (2001). Genome characterization of Botrytis virus F, a flexuous rod-shaped mycovirus resembling plant 'potex-like' viruses. Journal of General Virology 82: 67-78.
  
  
• Farreyrol, K.; Pearson, M. N.; Grisoni, M.; Leclercq-Le Quillec, F. (2001). Severe stunting of Vanilla tahitensis in French Polynesia caused by Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), and the detection of the virus in V. fragrans in Reunion Island. Plant Pathology 50, 414-414